For the first time in his life everything Mitch Kahn thought he knew was out the window.

But in a flash, he and three other fire captains told their men from Strike Team 1404A to lie down in fire shelters as flames raged around them. For 15 minutes the men lay face down with their feet toward the more than 200-degree fire.

This is the first time in Orange County firefighting history that fire shelters were use.

“It’s the hardest decision you have to make,” said Kahn, a 17-year career firefighter from San Clemente. “You’re trained how to use them, but you hope you never have to. It’s the last resort.”

Kahn, 47, a fire captain with Orange County Fire Authority Engine 22 from Laguna Hills, is among 1,100 firefighters who for the past five days have fought the Santiago fire. They’ve endured intense heat, erratic winds and stretched resources.

Their story is among dozens of acts of heroism in the past few days as firefighters battle not just the flames but also fear and fatigue.

At 3:30 p.m. Monday, Kahn, a father of three, was in a strike team with five engines out of Irvine, Yorba Linda, Placentia, Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills. After 26 hours of firefighting the strike team was ordered to assist a hand crew combating a fire along Santiago Canyon Road.

Just minutes after their engines rolled up, a spot fire jumped the road. Firefighters attacked from the rear using the road as their starting point. Kahn’s Engine 22 was the first to start laying hose.

Five firefighters worked the hose, carrying it to the spot fire that had jumped Santiago Canyon Road and was racing up the steep hillside. They sprayed water to cool the way, while others used axes and picks to remove unburned fuel from the area.

Just a few feet from the fire the hose burst, punctured by a sharp rock. Within seconds the fire leapt farther while firefighters replaced the hose. Again within range of the raging flames, the second hose burst after a burning ember hit it.

“We got a radio call stating that the spot below was growing and that they couldn’t put it out,” Kahn said. “We had unburned fuel in front of us, the new spot fire was rolling up the hill, and our possible escape route had fire crawling up it. We made the decision to deploy our fire shelters in at the top of the hill in the burned-out area.”

As an ominous orange glow came closer and fingers of fire flicked over the ridge, Kahn and the other captains watched as their men took their shelters from their belts – mandatory equipment when fighting grass and wildland fires – and crawled inside. Once the men were in shelters, the captains crawled into theirs. They were radioed that another crew was on its way up. Air support had been called and made two water drops. They waited, and when they felt safe they retreated from the shelters, checking to make sure no one was injured.

“The best thing was to notify the strike team leader that everyone was OK,” said Kahn, resting for the first time Thursday after a four-day deployment. “Things like this make you feel good when you know that the training and support was successful.”

Strike team leader Bryan Brice, a Fire Authority battalion chief, said the Santiago fire was like nothing else he’s every experienced.

“The severity of the winds, the dryness of the fuel created a fire I’ve never seen before,” said the 38-year-old Murrieta father of three. “I’ve never seen these fire whirls, fire bands and incredible winds.”

The strike team saved 27 of the 30 homes it defended in Williams Canyon.

Like Kahn, Brice and the rest of Strike Team 1404A’s firefighters got a chance to rest and reflect.

After three days battling the blaze in Santiago Canyon, Thorson, 38, welcomed a 10-hour break.

“Before, I got zero hours of sleep, but now I’m wide-awake,” he said. “If you would have asked me yesterday, it would have been a different story.”

And with the break came his first hot meal in days.

“All we’ve been eating are brown-bag lunches a couple times a day,” he said. “Last night I had a buddy of mine go to Costco and get us some steaks.”

But the lack of sleep and good food isn’t the hardest part for Thorson.

“There’s no cell service, so you can’t call or talk to anybody while you’re out here,” he said. “I just feel really out of touch, and I hate that. All I’ve seen are trees, hills and fire for three days.”

An hour here or there proved to be enough for him to help save homes in Williams Canyon on Tuesday night.

Flames flared up in front of him, smoke and ash blurred his vision, he wasn’t scared, and the fatigue didn’t hinder his performance.

“It’s actually exciting,” he said. “I know the residents must be scared, but this is just part of our job.”

On his three days off this week, “The first thing I am going to do is take a nice hot shower to unwind,” Saldana, 28, said. “I’ll probably just relax, play with my dogs and do some work around the house, because I’m sure it’s a mess.”

A DAY IN THE PARK

Orange County firefighter Brian Talbert – an engineer and driver – caught a wink of sleep Thursday afternoon in a grassy area at Irvine Park.

He’d fought fire threatening homes in Irvine and Tustin, and firestorms in Modjeska and Silverado canyons. Talbert tried to squeeze in catnaps atop a fire engine, in a hotel and on a patio of a resident’s home.

The hard work is just part of the job, said the Corona resident. Talbert, who grew up in Santa Ana, has fought fires for 20 years.

“Every time we go into Silverado, we drive by it and we say, ‘It’s still there,’” he said. “It makes you feel that you did something good.”

Erika Ritchie reports on South Orange County coastal communities, military issues and Camp Pendleton for the OC Register. She explores everything from coastal access, environmental issues and marine life to city government, animal welfare and quality of life. She’s won many awards including first place in news (2016) by the Orange County Press Club for her coverage of record numbers of whale entanglements off the California coast. Erika’s covered military change of command and seen military affairs firsthand from the sea aboard a battleship, air from a MV-22 Osprey, and land including Pendleton’s International war games and San Clemente Island’s ordnance ranges. Journalism allows Erika’s penchant for telling human stories of conflict, struggle and joy. Her monthly Everyday Hero feature does just that, highlighting achievements of some of Orange County’s most dedicated volunteers and non-profit leaders. Since joining the Register in 2001, she’s at times covered every city in South Orange County delving into development, housing, transportation, county government and social issues. She’s often written about Saddleback Church and Pastor Rick Warren’s emerging national and global roles. Erika’s passionate about animals and outdoor adventure. She runs, stand-up paddles and skis - both alpine and x-country. She frequents Mammoth Lakes and Mountain for hiking, biking & skiing and for her dogs to frolic in the snow and lakes. She grew up bilingual in German and conversational in French.